Pedro Suasi, manager of Balearic Marine Cluster, took advantage of the meeting with Joan Calafat, Director General of Water Resources, to explore how to enhance the project to align with the needs of the island’s residents and the institutions of the Balearic Islands.
The manager of Balearic Marine Cluster, Pedro Suasi, and representatives from the involved marinas met this Tuesday with the Director General of Water Resources of the Government, Joan Calafat, to present the project ‘Blue Marinas: Zero-Emission Desalination for Circular Water’. This project is based on conducting a technical feasibility study in collaboration with the main marinas of the Balearic Islands to install and use zero-emission private desalination units for boat washing, with the primary goal of finding a circular solution for the brine resulting from desalination.
According to Suasi, “this study will support the decision-making process of the marinas in an objective and rational manner, identifying their strengths and weaknesses, as well as their opportunities and threats. Additionally, the necessary resources to carry out the project will be determined, and ultimately, its success prospects will be evaluated against other possible alternatives such as the use of reclaimed water for boat washing. The goal is for the water used by the marinas to be 100% circular.”
Suasi also emphasized that the meeting served “to see if our project aligns with the actions the Government wants to follow regarding the management of the islands’ water resources. We at Balearic Marine Cluster have stated that this project not only has strong support from entities and associations but is also in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), aiming to improve water quality, reduce pollution, and promote more efficient use of this scarce resource.”
This project has been submitted by Balearic Marine Cluster to the grant call for financing innovative projects through cooperation, aiming to seek, implement, and digitize sustainable innovative solutions in tourist establishments of the Balearic Islands, funded by the EU Next Generation EU.
Among the collaborating and supporting entities for this project are Club de Mar, Alcudiamar, Port Adriano, Marina Botafoc, Marina Port de Mallorca, Marina Palma Cuarentena, Marina Ibiza, Marina Port Ibiza, Marina Port Mahón, and Astilleros de Mallorca.
Additionally, it has received letters of support from the Directorate General of Water Resources, Port Authority of the Balearic Islands, ADR Balears, University of the Balearic Islands, Association of Nautical Sports Facilities of the Balearic Islands, Association of Nautical Clubs of the Balearic Islands, Fanmed, Alcudiamar, Ocibar, Marina Palma Cuarentena, Marina Port de Mallorca, Club de Mar, Marina Ibiza, Astilleros de Mallorca, and Garau Ingenieros.
The meeting was also attended by Lucía Mingot, head of the Innovation and Sustainability Committee of Balearic Marine Cluster, Director of Quality and Innovation at Astilleros de Mallorca, and Pilar Moyà, Deputy Director of Marina Port de Mallorca, representing Astilleros de Mallorca.
The Project
The water circularity project aims to conduct a technical feasibility study in collaboration with the main marinas of the Balearic Islands to install and use private desalination units for boat washing.
The steps Balearic Marine Cluster is following are: Meetings with the involved marinas to assess specific needs, identify limitations, and analyze economic aspects. Additionally, it focuses on searching for and analyzing equipment that promotes research and the analysis of available desalination options in the market to subsequently conduct an implementation study.
Moreover, a resource analysis is being carried out to assess the energy needs of the desalination units and propose renewable energy alternatives to minimize the carbon footprint. A waste analysis will also be conducted to determine the amount of waste generated and propose circularity alternatives within the marina.
